:dateline:In a sad repeat of the intolerance witnessed just a short while ago when Sikh children were banned from wearing patkas or dastaars while playing soccer in Quebec, the Quebec government has now proposed banning dastaars and other religious symbols from public workplaces.
The situation in Quebec highlights a dichotomy with the rest of Canada. �The Parti Quebecois, the ruling party in Quebec, has seen a rise in popularity as a result of the proposal. �Quebec society has shown itself to be insular and highly prone to xenophobia.
On the other hand, the rest of Canada has been shocked and appalled by the decision of the Quebec government. �All three major federal parties have condemned the move in strong terms. �A federal cabinet minister, Jason Kenney, has changed his twitter profile picture to a picture of himself wearing a rumaal with a khanda on it, in a show of solidarity with those affected by the proposed law.
Dr. Sanjeet Singh Saluja, who was born and raised in Montreal, is an emergency room physician at the McGill University Health Centre. He says that Quebec will lose public employees including doctors if the government insists on banning religious symbols in the workplace.
�The sad thing is I don�t know if I�d be able to stay here in Quebec,� said Saluja. �Even though I love my practice here in Quebec, my faith is something that�s important to me and I don�t feel comfortable giving up that part of my persona and I don�t think a lot of people would be willing to, either.�
�This is not only one group that�s being isolated here, this is an entire section of the Quebec population it�s not going just to be the matter of one doctor, it�s going to be a matter of many doctors leaving.�
On Thursday, Maria Mourani, an MP for the Bloc Quebecois, the Quebec separatist party that sits in the federal parliament, was kicked out of the Bloc Quebecois caucus for disagreeing with the Quebec government’s proposal. �The Bloc Quebecois and Parti Quebecois are allowing for no dissent in their parties on this proposal.
The Quebec government is seeking to create an environment of intolerance towards minorities in Quebec for political purposes. �The federal government has vowed to challenge the proposal in court if it is to become law.In a further development this week, the Parti�Quebecois is pushing the private sector to adopt its proposed charter of values as a model to create a so-called secular workplace. Many in the private sector fear that it sends a negative signal to would-be immigrants. Employers also fear it could lead to complex legal quarrels over the right of religious minorities to their own food, prayer sites and holiday schedules on the job.
